All Blacks half-back, Aaron Smith believes Josh Ioane was ready to make his Test debut against Argentina in July, so he is confident his Highlanders teammate is more than capable of performing if he gets the chance this weekend against Tonga.
Ioane was called into the All Blacks squad for this weekend's final Test before the Rugby World Cup as injury cover for Richie Mo'unga after being named in the squad for the Rugby Championship.
He was axed for the Bledisloe Series but invited as a non‑playing squad member to continue his development.
Smith says throughout the entire process, Ioane has shown he's ready to don the black jersey.
The All Blacks will play Tonga on Saturday.
[Source: TV NZ]
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